Prudentius' Peristephanon is a collection of martyr
texts from a vital period in the growth of martyr cult in the
West. Building on recent work on the cult of the saints and on
the sacralization of space and time, Roberts demonstrates
how the Peristephanon relates to developments in late
fourth-century spirituality.
The author examines how
Prudentius creates an idiom to express devotion to the martyrs,
particularly in the structuring of marrative and the use of
poetic language. Roberts concludes by demonstrating how
Prudentius employs the model of martyr cult to articulate the
status of Christian literature, the role of the bishop in the
Christian community, and the symbolic status of Rome in the
Christian West.
Poetry and the Cult of the Martyrs
will be of particular interest to students and scholars of late
antiquity and early church history. The volume will also speak
to those interested in the history of classical literature,
particularly in Horace, Virgil, and Ovid.
Michael Roberts is
Robert Rich Professor of Latin, Wesleyan University.
6x9,
232 pages, 1993
ISBN 0-472-10449-7
The Latin text of
Prudentius' poems has been made available over the network
for the convenience of readers of this volume.